Medical 1 Ward

The ward cares for children aged from 12 months to 12 years with a variety of medical conditions including infectious illnesses represented by the following Medical Clinics:

• General Medicine
• Dermatology
• Neurology 
• Immunology
• Rheumatology

The length of time children stay in the ward varies enormously. Some need to stay less than 24 hours, some a number of days while children with chronic conditions may remain in the ward for a number of weeks.

How to access the service

The majority of children are admitted to the ward from the Paediatric Emergency Department and a small number are elective admissions.

Information for Families

Parents and care givers

One parent/caregiver is welcome to stay in the ward overnight.  Fold out sofa beds/recliner chairs and linen are provided.

Accommodation is available at nearby hotels or motels.

The ward has a parents' room with tea and coffee and a microwave.  For parents living in, breakfast is provided if required. 

For safety reasons do not bring hot drinks/food into the ward.

The Butterfly Card scheme assists families where children are admitted to hospital for an anticipated period of more than a week or who have frequent admissions or outpatient/day therapy appointments.

The Hospital does not take responsibility for theft or loss of valuables.  Please do not leave your valuables unattended. 

Nursing and Medical Staff

There are many nurses who work on the ward.  The nurses looking after your child will introduce themselves at the beginning of each shift.

A team of doctors will be caring for your child.  Daily ward rounds begin from 8am.  Your child may be seen at any time during the morning and may be reviewed again later in the day.  Please ensure that your child stays in the ward until doctors have reviewed them.  Please let your nurse know if you or your child are leaving the ward for any reason.

If your child is a private patient your doctor may arrive at any time during the day.

Caring for your child

Room allocation is based on medical need.  The side rooms are for children with contagious illnesses or who need to be isolated for other medical reasons.

Bedtime is at 8.30pm. Main lights and televisions are turned off at this time.

Services and facilities

The Hospital provides nutritious meals for children.  Meals for parents and caregivers are available from the cafe.

The Hospital provides a range of infant formulas. As we cannot provide every formula that is available you may need to supply a tin of your baby's preferred formula.

Our play coordinator will help your child to relax and have fun during their stay. The ward playroom has a range of games, toys and activities.

Mobile phones interfere with sensitive medical equipment. Please observe signs.

Incoming calls will be transferred to the phone closest to your child's bed.

Televisions are provided in patient areas for all children. There are four television, four video and four Foxtel channels. Videos are played in negotiation with the nursing staff or play coordinator.

Car parking is available on or near the hospital grounds. 

Visiting Hours

Parents, care givers and grandparents may visit at any time. All others may visit between 10am and 8pm.

Hours

24 hours

Contact Information

Unit Heads

• Clinical Services Coordinator - Ms Sally Milsom
• Medical Unit Head - Ms Mary Cossich

Mailing Address

Medical 1 Ward
Women's and Children's Hospital
72 King William Road
North Adelaide
South Australia 5006

Phone/Fax/Email

Telephone (08) 8161 6495

Fax (08) 8161 8208

last modified: 29 Aug 2017

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